The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-07-08

back. The wounded man fell head.
long. without "a groan.
Horror-stricken, Jean saw the mar
and noted every feature as he gazed
who had struck the blow. examine
his victim with the aid of the lantern
Then he drew the knife from the
wound. and going to the end of the
barn. close to where Jean lay. he thrust
the weapon into a hole by the side ot
the lamb of window. Jean distinctly
heard the knife rattle as it dropped q
considerable distance. Then the man
returned to the body of Monsieur Ton.
tay and examined it once more.
'.He is dead" he said. ''and our diff
Guilty is over sooner than anticipated y
Then the man and woman quilted
the places having first extinguished the
lantern. which they left upon the floor.
Jean. summoning all his courage,
arose. moved round the spot where he
knew the murdered man lay
and so got to the door. Then he made
his escape. and by daylight was twenty
miles away toward Troyes.
Monsieur Tontay inherited hand.
some property near La Fere. from his
father, whose only child he was. He
married early. but his choice was not a
wise one. for. after the couple had
lived together two years. Madame Ton
tay eloped with Monsieur Jarcnte, who
was old enough to be her father,
and had a wife and family to boot The
pair went to reside on an estate owned
by Jarente at Lussac, in Potion. and
Madame Jarente and her family con-
tinued to live at Villenare, few miles
from La Ferc.
After lapse of some years. Monsieur
Tontay brought to his home niece,
Marguerite Tontay. He virtually
adopted her and educated her as
though she had been his own child.
When she attained womanhood his
chagrin and disappointment may be
imagined when he discovered that she
was receiving in secret the attentions
of Louis Jarente, the son of the man
who had wrought him an irreparable
wrong.
Expostulations and threats were
alike vain to prevent the meeting of
the lovers, and finally Monsieur Ton
tay assured Marguerite that in case of
her continued disobedience she should
never inherit sou of his property.
For time she simulated compliance
with her uncle's wishes and prOfessed
to have broken off her relations with
Louis Jarente.
Her uncle. however, unexpectedly
discovered that she was only deceiving
him. and he secretly began negotia-
lions for the sale of his estate, in
tending to quit the neighborhood and
remove to Paris to reside in the family
of a younger sister.
Monsieur Tontay had consulted Ger
vais. a notary of La Fere, who had pro-
cured purchaser for the estate, and
the deeds were in course of preparation.
1t happened that Frederic Gervais,
the notary's son, came from Paris on n
visit 10 his father, and was thrown into
the society of Louis Jarente. They
became intimate. and Louis commune
Gated 10 Frederic his relations with
Monsieur Tontay.
One day Frederic, in his fathers
temporary absence. saw the deeds in
preparation for the sale of Monsieur
Tontsy's property. and communicated
the fact to Louis The latter ut once
concluded that Monsieur Tontay's OBJ
jcct was to disinhcrit Marguerite. and
he speedily communicated to her his
suspicious.
The situation was urgent. Louis
was poor; but if Marguerite was to in
herit her uncle's property she would
be wealthy. 1t did not take long for
Louis to convince Marguerite that it
was absolutely necessary that some
thing should be done ut once to pre-
vent the impending ruin that threat
ened both. Only one thing could pre-
vent 1.-THE removal. and that speedily
of Mons. Tontay.
Finally. on the morning of August
Is. 1857, Mons. Tontay told Marguerite
that he was selling his property and
was about to remove to Paris, and that
he would make her an allowance of
three thousand francs a year, and she
might choose her own residence. He
upbraided her with her deception and
ingratitude. and declared that he
would do nothing for her beyond what
he had said.
The same day Marguerite met Louis,
and she was Oh her way home when
they overlook Jean Savart. The APP
pearance of the dog notified them of
the fact that Monsieur Tontay must be
outside the grounds, and hence the hur-
ried parting to meet again at later
hour.
At that second meeting the death of
Monsieur Tontay was agreed upon. and
poison was to be the means by which
he was to be removed. They retired
to the barn. where they had frequently
met before, and with what happened
there the reader is already acquainted.
When Monsieur Tontay was found
murdered in the barn next morning the
greatest CONSERVATION prevailed in the
neighborhood. Such crime had never
been known there within the memory
of the oldest inhabitant.
Marie Petei, the cook, testified that
the night before her master came to her
and said that lie had put a miserable